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   Memo: The way forward on health care reform in 2010.
 A dark legacy of the Vietnam War is creating a whole new set of problems.
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August 10, 2009
IT DEPENDS ON HOW YOU DEFINE 'LESS POPULAR'.... In announcing its new national poll on the popularity of the political parties, CNN notes, "Democratic Party less popular, but more Americans still think country better off in their hands." That's true, but it's a little convoluted.  The poll asked respondents which party should have the congressional majority. A 44% plurality favored Dems, while 34% preferred Republicans. Democratic numbers are down a bit from April, but Republican numbers haven't improved. ("Neither" got a bump, and is up to 15%.) In terms of popularity, though, the headline is a little misleading. The poll shows 41% of Americans with a favorable view of the Republican Party, while 50% have an unfavorable view. The favorable numbers are up slightly (two points) since April, but the rating hasn't changed much since last fall. For Democrats, the numbers are reversed -- 52% favorable, 39% unfavorable. It's hardly a favorable landscape for the minority. So, what about becoming "less popular"? Well, in April, Democrats had 51%-41% favorable/unfavorable ratings. In other words, over the last few months, Dems' numbers haven't gone down at all. Dems are only "less popular" if you ignore the April poll and compare the party's numbers from February. Or as Atrios put it, "If you skip the intervening poll, you get to tell a pleasing story. Actual story: Dems were pretty damn popular in February. That popularity declined by April, and has pretty much stayed flat sense. Not quite as pleasing of a story for your liberal media." As for the bigger picture, CNN's report did get one key detail right: "[T]he Republican party has not been able to capitalize on the Democrats' downturn." I think "downturn" is clearly the wrong word here, but the point is, while Dems' numbers have declined since the start of the year, the GOP has not yet positioned itself to take advantage. —Steve Benen 2:05 PM Permalink | Trackbacks | Comments (11)Comments
I have an "unfavorable" view of both parties, but the Republicans are so determined to screw up that I vote for the Democrats. Posted by: Colin on August 10, 2009 at 2:09 PM | PERMALINKI'm still waiting for the day when, to manufacture a story, the mainstream media writes Democrat Poll Numbers Kidnap a White Girl. Posted by: doubtful on August 10, 2009 at 2:17 PM | PERMALINKToo bad the people who respond w/ "neither" never have a real option. Maybe the other two would be less terrible with some competition? Posted by: anon E. Mouse on August 10, 2009 at 2:31 PM | PERMALINKColin nails it. I'm not happy with the Democrats, but that doesn't mean I would start voting for the lunatic party. Posted by: qwerty on August 10, 2009 at 2:34 PM | PERMALINKIn our system, politicians are more interested in relative favorability than they are in how people feel about any issue. How f@#ked up is that? Is a 2 party system inherently, or at least predominantly, non-issue oriented? Posted by: Michael7843853 on August 10, 2009 at 2:52 PM | PERMALINKWho gives a rat's ass. And the alternative was....(blood curdling screams) We are better off than any other scenario I can imagine. Fuck the polls Posted by: John R on August 10, 2009 at 3:53 PM | PERMALINKIf the dems are less popular it's only because they are not getting the job done and are trying to be too damn "bipartisan"...not because we are siding with repubs Posted by: bjobotts on August 10, 2009 at 4:06 PM | PERMALINKSince most polls are in the habit of asking leading questions, here's one I'd like to see in the next poll: Do you believe that Republicans in general are: (1) Rational, sentient beings who honestly have the well-being of the country at heart, even if they disagree with the majority on policy; (2) Dogmatic and uncompromising actors who constantly seek short-term political gain, regardless of the ultimate cost to individuals and / or the country at large; (3) Simply too cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs to be taken seriously any longer in any public debate or discussion of consequence; or (4) 2 and 3 only.Posted by: Donald from Hawaii on August 10, 2009 at 6:53 PM | PERMALINK I'm not so sure that Republicans have not managed to get a political advantage out of their obstructionist tactics and scorched-earth rhetoric. In a recent Rasmussen "generic" congressional poll, generic Republicans beat generic Democrats 43% to 38%. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/generic_congressional_ballot Posted by: Daryl McCullough on August 10, 2009 at 9:50 PM | PERMALINKPost a comment
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